Category: Throttle Downunder VLOG

I wanted to compare the Kawasaki Z900RS with the Z900RS Cafe. So this week I wanted to go and check out the Black Dog Ride course so I can plan my video shoot for the 17th March, and when James from Penrith Motorcycle centre offered to come with me and for us to take the 2 different Z900RS models available, I jumped at the chance.

So I jumped on the Z900RS with the Jaffa paint scheme and off we went. The Black Dog Ride course is great, but the Z900RS was just exceptional. I really love this bike and it has a lot to offer. Good retro styling with all the modern day safety, performance and convenience.

After an hour or so we pulled over, and James handed me the keys to his personal Z900RS Cafe and off we went again. There is no mechanical differences between the two bikes, mainly just body positioning differences due to the sportier handlebars, peg positions a little further back and the front fairing. For me though, the Jaffa colored Z900RS wins my head and my heart.

On a recent visit to Melbourne I took the opportunity to visit 2 iconic motoring locations while I was there. Being a new owner of a Royal Enfield motorcycle I wanted to visit Mid Life Cycles to check out their bikes and buy some Royal Enfield merchandise to set the scene. So a 30 minute walk from our hotel, through the sporting precinct, past Rod Laver Arena and the mighty MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) on the Eastern side of the Melbourne CBD we arrived in Cremorne to have a look at the showroom.

Afterwards we walked a further 20 minutes to Richmond to find a warehouse in a back street across the railway line, that housed Dutton Garage. Here at Dutton Garage there were so many Supercars, Classic Cars and Sports Cars that I could not believe it. To top it off all these cars are for sale too. There were Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Ford Gt, Mustang and McLaren to name a few. Truly my dream garage.

After spending quite some time looking and dreaming it was time to head back into Melbourne with a nice walk along the Yarra River and into the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival for a good meal and to head home.

It’s Sunday morning, and while everyone is still sleeping off hangovers, this week I’m fuelling myself with a strong coffee and heading out to Sydney Motorsport Park to Drive some V8 Supercars.

Sydney Motorsport Park SMSP is located just off the M4 in Western Sydney, and is the some to Sydney Drag way, Eastern Creek Go Karts, 4WD training, a Skid Pan and of course the racing track.

Watch Video here >>>

Once checking in, we were taken into Suite 9 to attend a complete driver briefing for our session. Essentially safety was the most important topic, along with just driving within your abilities and to totally trust your instructor that will be with us on the drive.

Once that was down it was time to suit up, and somehow get this overweight middle-aged body into the car.

This was my first time on a track and my goal for the day was to learn as much as I could from the instructor in the short 8 laps that I had. As this was my first time, I was getting overtaken by faster drivers, and during this time the instructor told me what part of the road to get on and held the wheel to make sure no mistakes were made.

The instructor encouraged me to concentrate on smooth fluid techniques rather than overall speed, and I feel that I learnt as much as I could in the small amount of time. By lap 5 through to 8 I really felt a good flow and lap times improved a lot.

Once my 8 laps were done as a driver, it was time for me to jump in “Hollywood” George’s car, and have him take me on a 3-lap sprint as a passenger. Cleary the pace was so much faster than mine, and it was great to see the small things I learnt, actually be put into practice at super high speeds.

All in all, the day was a great experience at Fastrack V8 Racecar Experience and I would highly recommend it to others, and I would love to do it again some time soon. I was just a little disappointed at some of the in car footage being shot through a camera with a cracked lens, but other than that, a great experience.

Yesterday was a miserable rainy day in Sydney, and I happened to have a day off work and my little MX-5 hasn’t left the garage in a couple of months, so it was time to blow out the cobwebs and go for a drive.

For anyone that has owned a convertible, you’ll understand why I wanted to get out of rainy Sydney Town. So I headed west, over the Blue Mountains stopping for a quick coffee in Katoomba at my favorite coffee shop in the mountains called Cassiopeia at 79 Lurine St, Katoomba.

Cassiopeia is truly a hidden gem in the Blue Mountains, if you’re fussy about your coffee as I am, this is the place to be. Great coffee roasted by themselves too, great food, and service with a smile. Once I had my caffeine fix I continued west down through Lithgow and out to Bathurst where I jumped straight onto the track at Mount Panorama.

The Mount panorama track is still a public road, and there are many farms and homes scattered along the whole track, and the speed limit is restricted to only 60km/h. Although it is still nice to drive this track at slow speed, I would really love to do a track day up here and really have some fun.

Check out the video below to see the track in its beauty.

After having so much fun knocking out a few laps of the Mountain, it was time to head East back to Sydney and get back to the hum drum of housework and other responsibilities, so on return I decided to take the Bell Line Road for a more picturesque drive home. Sadly due to heavy rain and fog the view was completely hidden and the drive slow.

Through the rain, however, I did see a sign saying “Home Made Apple Pie”, how could I possibly resist? Stopping at The Pines Orchard Cafe

Apple Pies Bell Line Road

This little roadside diner was a great find, selling loads of all your favorite home made products from delicious marmalade’s, jam’s, relishes, locally grown fruit and honey, and I picked up an apple pie for dinner later that night, and had a cheeky Chicken Pie for the trip home. Well worth a visit as you are passing through.

Coming back into Sydney the weather was clearing slightly, but the MX-5 was looking worse for wear after rain, mud and road grime, but all in all it was a fantastic drive and I was still home by about 3pm.

On a recent trip to the USA with my wife for a vacation, I was lucky enough to see many amazing motor cars. It seems that America has a great number of enthusiasts and an affordability of sports cars for the masses.

Some cars that are simply out of reach financially for Australians, are common in America.

Obviously the American built muscle cars are a dime a dozen and many of them are also rental cars for tourists.

The Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang and the Corvette are some of these cars.

But one car stands alone to me, and seemed rare in the USA as well. That is the AC Cobra.

It doesn’t matter how many super cars I see, and modern sports cars, there is nothing like the curves, the simplicity and the horsepower of a Cobra. Those leg pipes that emit the beautiful rumble of the V8 motor…..I get excited just thinking about it. Haha

You can have all the drive settings in a modern car, automated transmissions with paddle controls, and rocket ship like capabilities……put me in a Manual AC Cobra anyday and I will be the happiest man alive.

One day my dream will come true, and a AC Cobra will be in the Sydney Coupes and Roadsters garage, I’d even settle for a replica….until then I will keep dreaming and admiring them as they pass.